Leader: VoIP ready for prime time

The VoIP hype bubble has been hit over the past few weeks by a growing number of warnings about the security of converged voice and data networks over the IP-based networks such as the public internet.

While we're not dismissing those concerns, which we'll explore more fully on silicon.com, evidence from our most recent CIO Jury shows that UK IT bosses are already embracing VoIP technology.

There are many potential downsides to VoIP including some loss of voice quality from the compression of voice packets and the risk of putting all your eggs in one basket – if your computers crash then the phones go down as well.

But CIOs believe these risks can all be mitigated and that the benefits far outweigh this. Top of the list of plusses was cost, followed by flexibility and the increased features and functionality that internet phones offer.

Of course there are still concerns about the impact of any regulation on VoIP but it's clear that IT chiefs are not prepared to hang around and wait. We often see new technologies hyped before they are mature and ready for mass market but the UK's leading IT executives have already given their verdict when it comes to VoIP.